Operation: Pinpoint

HQ...We have a problem

After that last fiasco with the Hulk, the Pericles is out of commission. This ship was key to the success of our mission. Fortunately, I had devised several contingency plans for such an event. Today, I am initiating Contingency levels 1-3.

I am going to need an update on the status of our new operative, Codename: Pinpoint. His role in our mission is now more vital than ever.

~ Maria

Contingency Level 1

Level 1 is simple. We've got The Circe and a bunch of allies that can chump block. Our options here are Ghost-Spider, Luke Cage, Nightcrawler, and War Machine.

Field Agent will let allies attack or thwart the turn they are played without losing their tough status. Hangar Bay lets them block and still activate the following turn (or block twice if necessary).

Contingency Level 2

For Level 2, we have the following combo: "Come Get Me, Bub!" and The Bellerophon. That's right, we are minion summoning with Maria! Once that red Helicarrier is online, we will be minion slaying on autopilot, so those tough cards are essentially free.

Face the Past is here too while we are at it. It takes 2 hits of The Bellerophonto take out Controller, which isn't too bad. Agent 13 will let you double hit the The Bellerophon, or you could let him activate one turn, which isn't a big deal. Our damage from Supports aren't attacks either, so not being able to attack the villain is never an issue.

Contingency Level 3

Those first 2 were pretty basic, but now things get a little spicy. Level 3 lets us completely negate 1 attack every single turn for free. This is all thanks to our new Operative, Pinpoint. The combo goes like this: Trigger Life Model Decoy to tank a big hit, exhaust Pinpoint to shuffle it back in the deck, use Leo Fitz to grab it back into hand, and use Jemma Simmons (optional) to play it back down for reduced cost. Yes, it takes a while to get the full combo out, but once you do, you are virtually unkillable. Level's 1 -2 are likely enough to keep you safe all game, but there is no such thing as being too safe.

Dossier: Pinpoint

S.H.I.E.L.D. has kept close tabs on this child for months now. With his ability to open portals at will, Qureshi will be an invaluable asset for the organization.

Pinpoint is a really cool ally that doesn't see a lot of play. Mainly because you need to be a Champion to play him, and the Champions don't tend to do many interesting things with his ability. But with The Circe, we can get around the play requirement very easily. And that's fantastic, because Maria Hill gets more value out of Qureshi than any other hero in the game! And this is on top of that combo I mentioned as Contingency Level 3. Imagine that any time one of her S.H.I.E.L.D. supports ran out of counters or got discarded, you could stick it back in your deck...then just go get it again with her AE ability? Yeah, its really good.

On top of that, you can shuffle any ally back in, so that you have higher uptime for The Circe, potentially playing a free ally every turn. Any of those defensive allies are great targets for this, but also Agent 13, Nick Fury or Rogue too if they happen to leave play. Rogue is mainly here for thwarting, which the deck somewhat lacks in otherwise. She can touch Maria and Thwart for 4, and Maria doesn't mind the damage ping as she will be healing up with "Come Get Me, Bub!", or even Med Team. This support is also useful to heal up Agent 13, Nick Fury, and Rogue as needed.

The Pericles is in almost every single popular Maria Hill deck, so playing one that doesn't run it is really refreshing. And in protection too?!?! If you have felt that her decks all look the same, or just want to try something new, check it out. And let me know what you think! :)